Anthony Geisler's Sequel Brands: Five Boutique Brands, Zero Debt, 100% Control
Release Date: 02/20/2026
Karl Sanft - COVID, Bankruptcy, and Back: The 24 Hour Fitness Turnaround
Future of Fitness
In this conversation, 24 Hour Fitness CEO Karl Sanft opens up about steering the iconic brand through a once‑in‑a‑generation pandemic, bankruptcy, and a full operational turnaround—only to welcome back founder Mark Mastrov as executive chair. Karl shares why shifting from an “access” to a “usage” model during COVID became a defining moment, how private equity sharpened his leadership edge, and why doubling down on the middle‑market (great strength floors at a $30–$50 price point) is the winning strategy. He also reveals their three‑phase capital plan: remodel 50 clubs a...
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Jim LaValle - Peptides, GLP-1s, and the Product Problem: What Longevity Brands Are Missing
Future of Fitness
In this episode, Eric Malzone hangs out with Jim LaValle—a legend in metabolic health who’s been deep in this world for over 40 years—for a real conversation about GLP-1s, peptides, and what it actually takes to build a healthier, longer life. Jim gets honest about why these drugs can be a game-changer but also why so many people use them wrong, the sketchy side of the “research only” peptide market, and which peptides he’s actually excited about for gut health, hormones, and fixing your sleep. They also talk about why the fitness industry hasn’t quite cracked the longevity code...
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Sarah Luna - Pilates 3.0: How Pilates Addiction Plans to Scale to 1,000 Units by 2030
Future of Fitness
In this episode of The Future of Fitness, host Eric Malzone sits down with Sarah Luna, CEO of Pilates Addiction, to explore the brand’s rapid rise and what she calls “Pilates 3.0.” With a background as a professional dancer, certified Pilates instructor, and franchise owner, Sarah brings a unique blend of hands-on experience and business acumen to the forefront. She breaks down how Pilates Addiction combines the best of traditional studio Pilates and modern high-intensity reformer workouts into a 50-minute, full-body experience designed for maximum efficiency. From the patented gold...
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Juliet Starrett & Alex Alimanestianu - Quarterly Reports: $7.5 Billion Merger, a Surprise IPO, and Executive Shuffles
Future of Fitness
In this episode, Eric Malzone, Juliet Starrett, and Alex find themselves at the intersection of a shifting fitness economy, dissecting a massive Q1 2026 that has left the industry bifurcated between high-end luxury and high-volume value . The team breaks down the "K-shaped" recovery where premium powerhouses like Lifetime are flex-pricing their way to record margins while mid-market players and franchise models like Xponential Fitness face mounting regulatory and internal pressure . From the blockbuster $7.5 billion Mindbody-EGYM merger to Strava’s surprise IPO filing, this deep dive...
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John Ford - EGYM's Bet: The Untrained Market Is Where the Real Health Impact Is
Future of Fitness
In this episode, we sit down with John Ford, Chief Product Officer at eGym, to explore the massive shift currently happening at the intersection of fitness and healthcare. From his early days founding Virtual Active and licensing cinematic workout content to industry giants like Peloton, to his current role leading product strategy at a global fitness unicorn, John offers a masterclass in behavioral science and hardware integration. We dive deep into the launch of Genius AI, discussing how it removes the "intimidation barrier" for gym beginners and provides the objective data—like...
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Mike Ranfone & Dr. Marko Lujic - The Gym of the Future Will Change the Future of Healthcare: RTS's Integration Model
Future of Fitness
What happens when a lifelong friendship meets a shared frustration with broken systems? Mike Ranfone and Dr. Marko Lujic did something most people only talk about — they actually built the gym-medical hybrid model that the health and fitness industry has been circling around for years. In this episode, Dr. Lujic opens up about the moment he realized he wasn't practicing healthcare — he was practicing sick care — and how that wake-up call led him and Mike to launch RTS Health in Hampton, Connecticut. Together, they walk us through their full client experience: from DEXA scans and...
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Andrew Sugerman - 1.8 Million Athletes, 2 Million Pounds of Equipment: Centr's Hyrox Partnership
Future of Fitness
Andrew Sugerman of Centr returns to the Future of Fitness to break down how the brand has completely transformed since their last conversation in 2023 — moving from a broad wellness platform to becoming the performance infrastructure behind one of the fastest-growing fitness movements in the world. Andrew pulls back the curtain on Centr's official partnership with Hyrox, including how they engineered custom competition equipment from the ground up (yes, even the kettlebells got a redesign), why fitness-as-sport is the most powerful retention tool gym operators aren't fully using yet, and...
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Chris Mirabile - Redefining Longevity: NOVOS, Healthspan, and What Really Works
Future of Fitness
In this episode of the Future of Fitness Podcast, host Eric Malzone sits down with Chris Mirabile, founder of NOVOS, to unpack the science and business of longevity. Chris shares how surviving a brain tumor as a teenager reshaped his perspective on health and pushed him to study aging at a biological level. The conversation dives into what longevity actually means beyond buzzwords—how it differs from simply living a healthy lifestyle, why healthspan matters just as much as lifespan, and the science behind targeting the biological “hallmarks of aging.” Chris also explains why some popular...
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Pat Rigsby - Franchising Reality Check: B2B Acquisition, Broker Dependency, and Loss of Control
Future of Fitness
From franchising fitness empires to developing the next generation of athletes — Pat Rigsby has seen it all, and he's not done yet. In this episode, Pat joins Eric to break down what's actually shifting in the fitness and sports performance industry in 2025, why the gap between "trainer who pays rent" and real business owner has never been wider, and what two decades of franchising experience taught him before launching Athletes Accelerated. Pat pulls no punches on what it really takes to franchise a concept (hint: it's a legal marriage, not a passive income play), why the youth sports...
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Mark Mastrov - The 24 Hour Fitness Acquisition: Mark Mastrov Returns with Long Range Capital
Future of Fitness
Mark Mastrov, founder of 24 Hour Fitness, sat down with Eric Malzone to reflect on decades of industry experience and where fitness is headed next. The conversation covered how consumer behavior has shifted dramatically post-pandemic, with younger generations leaning into fitness more than ever, and how the lines between medical services and gym facilities are increasingly blurring — pointing to a future where your workout and your healthcare coexist under one roof. On the business side, Mark sees private equity continuing to fuel growth across boutique and mid-tier fitness, with the...
info_outlineIn this episode, Eric sits down with serial fitness entrepreneur Anthony Geisler to unpack his new venture, Sequel, why he’s doubling down on longevity, and how he sees the future of fitness shifting toward healthspan, tech-enabled training, and democratized wellness for the masses.
✨ Key takeaways
🔥 It’s you vs. you: Anthony sees entrepreneurship and fitness through the same lens as Kobe’s “Mamba mentality” – the real competition is with your own potential, not other brands.
🏛️ Sequel as the “second act”: After Xponential, he’s rebuilt with the same core team, no debt, and 100% ownership, aiming to run the playbook without public-market and PE constraints.
📈 Health > “fitness industry”: He argues the world—not just the fitness sector—is shifting, with longevity, biohacking, GLP-1s, and tech-driven consumer education driving massive tailwinds.
🧬 Ultimate Longevity Center
🧊 The “playground” model: Sauna, cold, hyperbaric, red light, stretching, EMS, and more under one roof, wrapped in memberships designed to be accessible and habit-forming rather than “celebrity-only” wellness.
💪 Pilates 2.0: With Pilates Addiction, he’s pushing a higher-intensity, more entertaining, HIIT-style Pilates experience aimed at younger, performance-focused consumers who want more “squeeze” from each session.
⚡ EMS finally done right
🧂 Real-world protocol: Anthony walks through his own longevity stack – from salt and whole food to aminos, sunlight, steps, and sleep – and why most people are just one hydration and protein fix away from feeling better.
Episode overview
Anthony opens up on why, after achieving significant financial success and a multi-brand empire at Xponential, he chose to start all over again with Sequel. For him, business is his arena, and building is his version of Kobe Bryant staying in the game as long as possible—driven by competition with himself and loyalty to the team that loves to build.
Checkout our sponsors ✨
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